Island



(No Model.)

w. MGMIGHAEL. LOOSE REED MOTION FOR POWER LOOMS.

No. 508,041. Patented Nov. 7,1893.

" UNITED STATES PATENT UFFICE.

WILLIAM MCMICHAEL, OF WOONSOOKET, RHODE ISLAND.

LOOSE-REED MOTION FOR POWER-LOOMSF SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 508,041, dated November '7, 1893.

- Q I Application filed July 1,1893. Serial No. 479.357. (No model.)

weavingcloth, with a reed having the top sta 'tionary in the lay, and the bottom movable under pressure backward and forward in the lay in the direction of its line of movement,

but independent thereof, whereby the for ward movement of the bottom of the reed will be instantly stopped when striking-an ob-' struction in the shed, such for instance as a shuttle caught therein, though the lay itself continues its forward movement, and thereby preventing a break in the warp threads, and' also with'means for automatically locking the reed fast in the lay immediately before the termination of its forward movement, and for automatically unlocking the same during its The back side of the stay block is flush with The existing defect in power looms sought return or backward movement.

to be overcome by my'invention is, that in the operation of the loom constructed with the reed secured im-movably in the lay, it will frequently happen .that through some defective operation of the shuttle boxes or other parts ,of the loom, or through the carelessness of .the weaver, one or more shuttles will fail to; enter the boxes, and become caught in the: shed, and struck by the advancing reed, re-g sulting in what is called a smash, that is,f an extensive breaking of the warp threads, 2 and thereby causing serious damage.- The; use of my invention absolutely prevents these i I stay block against the reed, thus holding the The accompanying drawings. illustrate my;

of the loom.

smashes.

invention.

Figure 1 is a rear. elevation of thelay and reed, showing the reed locked in the lay. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken through Fig. l on line 00, or, showing 'the' reed locked, and in the position of beating up the weft. Fig. 3 is atransverse section taken through Fig. 1 on the same line, showing the reed unlocked and the shuttle on its passage through the shed. Fig. 4 is atransverse section taken through Fig. 1 on the same line, showing the reed unlocked and the shuttle caught in the shed.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A indicates the body of the lay of an ordinary power loom, carrying the reed B. Its upper surface 0 constitutes the shuttle race for the passage of the shuttle in picking from and to the shuttle boxes. groove, a, is made in the back side of the lay, to receive the lower side bar of thereed. B is the reed, its upper side bar resting loosely in groove b in the under side of'the reed cap D, which constitutes the top of the lay. The lower side bar of the reed rests in, and is partially embraced by, the longitudinal groove a, in the back side of the body of the lay.

E, is a movable stay block resting withina recess in the back side of the body of the lay close behind the reed, and is provided with a longitudinal groove 0, in the side next to, and adapted to receive and partiallyembrace the lower side bar of the reed, and together with the body of the lay holding it between them.

the back side of the lay.

F, F, are threaded guide bolts extending through ,the body of thelay and into the stay block, and work into threaded plates G. G.

A longitudinal let into the back of the stay block and im- -movably attached thereto by screws or other suitable means. The guide bolts serve to guide the forward and backward movement of the stay block hereinafter described. An open coil steel wire spring H. surrounds each of the bolts F. one end thereof resting against the inner side of the bolt head, and the other against a shoulder within the body of the lay. The force of the springs holds the reed in its position in the lay in theoperation tion by coil springs 0. one end thereof being A attached to lugs d. projecting from the brackets,-and their other ends attached to the levers. The camse, e. are adapted to engage with the under side of the locking plate K, as the lay moves forward, and thereby slides the locking plate upward and in rear of the i stay block, thus locking the reed immovably in the lay. This locking movement is efliected immediately before the lay finishes its forward movement. P. is a supporting bnaoket attached to the under surface of the body of the lay, one or more of which may be usedpr not as desired. The said part P is designed to support the locking plate K against the shock of beating up the weft, when the weakness of the parts render such support desirable. The dotted line g, indicates the cloth 1 woven, and the dotted lines It and h indicate the warp threads forming the shed.

indicates the shuttle, and is shown in Fig. 4 1 of the drawings as caught in the shed, and in Y which the reed is shown as stopped in its forward movement by the shuttle, and the lay as moved onward.

Theoperation is as follows: When the power is applied the lay moves forward carrying the reed to beat up the weft. The reed is held in its position in the lay by the force of springs H, operating upon the guiding bolts F. F. If

the reed meets no obstruction, the under edge oi the looking plate K. strikes upon the stationary earns e. 6. located upon thelevers N. and the locking plate is thereby lifted and moved upward close against the back side of the stay block E, whereby the reed is immovably locked in the lay immediately before the reed completes its forward movement, and heats up the weft. During its return or backward movement, the locking plate moves off the "cams e. e. and drops down, and the reed becomes again unlocked. If, during the forward movement of the lay and reed, one or more shuttles fail for any reason to enter the boxes, and are caught in the shed, as shown in Fig.4 of the drawings, the springs H. yield to the superior resisting force of the shuttle held within the shed, and the forward movementot the lower part of the reed is instantly stopped, and a serious break in the warp is thereby prevented, while the lay continues its forward movement for a short distance, until it, too, is stopped by other mechanism not necessary to be herein described. Upon the shuttle being released, the lower part of the reed is moved forward into its place under the influence of springs H. The springs O are of sufficient tension to hold the lovers N. rigidly, in the operation of lifting the looking plate above described, but it for any reason the lay should not be stopped in its forward movement, when the shuttle is caught in the shed as above described, the locking plate would be prevented from rising, by reason of the stay block resting above it, and the under edge of the lockin g plate will, therefore, upon striking the cams e. e., overcome the resistance of springs O and depress the levers N.

Without limiting myself totheprecise form and oonstruetion of the parts herein shown, I claim 1. The lay in ooinbination with the movable reed 13., stay block E provided with threaded plates G. G, guide bolts F. F. passing through the body of the lay and engaging with the threaded plates, the springs H. H. surrounding bolts F. F. and holding the stay block against the reed, guide or ways I; I. looking plate K. having itsends adapted to slide up and down in said guides or ways, the arms or levers N. N. attached to the breast beam M. and cams e. e. respectively located upon said armsor levers and adapted to engage with the under side of locking plate Ii, and to raiseand lower the same, thus locking and unlocking the reed during the forward and backward movement-of the in y, substantially as described.

'2. The lay A in combination with the movnble reed Estayblock E. provided with threaded plates G. G. guide bolts F. F. passing through the body of the lay and engaging with the threaded plates, springs H. H. surrounding bolts F. F. and holding the stay block against the reed and thereby holding the reed in position in the lay, guides or ways I. 1., locking plate K, having its ends adapted to slide up and down in said guides or ways, the arms or levers N. N. pivoted to the breastbeam M. lugs d.-d. springs O. 0. attached to the lugs and supporting the arms or levers, and cams e. 8. attached to the arms or levers, and adapted to engage with the under side of locking plate K. and to raise and lower the same, thereby locking and unlocking the reed WILLIAM MGMICHAEL.

Witnesses:

ROBERT F. LINTON, THOMAS F. HOWE.

IIO 

